Alchemy and ingenuity go hand in hand with these earthly goods, reinvented with experimental techniques and uncommon artistry.

BIG BLUE |
Shaped first on a wheel and then by hand, this stoneware vase by Los Angeles artist Adam Silverman has the gravitas of ancient sculpture excavated from the ocean floor. Multiple firings created the piece’s pockmarked texture, which bristles just under the surface of an Aegean-hued glaze. Stoneware vessel by Adam Silverman, $7,500, friedmanbenda.comPia Ulin for WSJ. Magazine, Styling by Hilary Robertson

HISTORY LESSON |
Referencing classical Chinese porcelain forms like the double gourd and the sleeve, the vases of Kingston, New York–based ceramist Robert Hessler feature dappled motifs produced by layering zinc glazes that form crystals as they cool. Porcelain vases by Robert Hessler, from left: $338, $450 and $474, info@stillhousenyc.comPia Ulin for WSJ. Magazine, Styling by Hilary Robertson

HALF MOON |
Lunar landscapes seem etched across the surfaces of these vases by Dutch collaborative Studio Oddness. Designers Thomas van der Sman and Adrianus Kundert infuse their glazes with soap, which bubbles up as the pieces are dipped, giving them an otherworldly air.
Bubbleography vases by Studio Oddness, from $235 each, editionboutique.comPia Ulin for WSJ. Magazine, Styling by Hilary Robertson

EBB AND FLOW |
Ceramic discs stand in for canvases in Maria Moyer’s porcelain paintings, which the New York City–based sculptor crafts by pooling water and cobalt oxide on the surface of once-fired clay plates and gently agitating them to distribute the liquefied metal. A second firing results in soulful, luminous effects. Porcelain paintings by Maria K. Moyer, $200 each, Pia Ulin for WSJ. Magazine, Styling by Hilary Robertson